New Delhi, March 4 -- The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Tuesday further postponed Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations scheduled for Thursday (March 5) and Friday (March 6) in several West Asian countries in the wake of the war between Iran and US and Israel. "The new dates shall be announced later," the board in a circular dated March 3 informed principals of more than 150 CBSE-affiliated schools in Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The exams were originally scheduled for March 2 but were postponed two days ago. According to the latest circular, the board will again "review the situation" on Thursday and "take appropriate decisions" regarding examinations scheduled from March 7 onwards. "All students are advised to stay in touch with their schools for updates and follow official announcements carefully," the circular said. The decision affects thousands of Indian students studying in CBSE-affiliated schools across the Gulf region. The UAE and Saudi Arabia, in particular, host a large number of Indian expatriate families, and CBSE schools there account for a significant share of overseas candidates appearing for the board examinations each year. CBSE officials declined to comment on the number of students affected. "We are yet to estimate the number of affected students. Our current focus is on reviewing the situation in affected countries and issuing timely updates and circulars containing all the relevant information," an official said. CBSE conducts the Class 10 and 12 board exams annually in India and in select foreign centres where its affiliated schools operate. The Gulf region constitutes the largest overseas cluster of CBSE schools, with Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh among key examination hubs. The postponement marked a rare mid-session disruption to overseas board examinations. In recent years, the CBSE altered schedules mainly during extraordinary circumstances - most notably in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, when several Class 10 and 12 examinations in India and abroad were postponed or cancelled. In isolated cases, the Board has also deferred exams in specific centres due to extreme weather, local emergencies or security-related concerns, while maintaining the broader national timetable. The latest circular was signed by Controller of Examinations Dr Sanyam Bhardwaj and lists the Indian ambassadors to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iran, as well as the Consul General of India in Dubai, among those copied for information and necessary action....